"An hour is all I need."
Having finished his meal, Marcus walked slowly toward the exit. Once everyone is out, he will look at Vironus.
"Clearly, it was a good idea to get that wagon... surely it will prove to be handy. In any case, how and where do you get this, I wonder..."
And when River get in the wagon, he will continue.
"Rogar, my dear friend. I suggest that you get in the wagon in order to protect River in case we encounter any danger in the road. I will stay outside, for an extra pair of eyes and ears on the road are always useful. What do you think?"
Rogar walks out with River and Marcus. "That's what I was going to suggest, Marcus. I'm afraid I can't walk as fast as the rest of you, so the wagon's where I'll have to be, I'm afraid."
Once in the wagon, Rogar sits opposite River so he can keep an eye out for anyone following them. He remains quiet, as he doesn't want to disturb River's meditations.
Perception:
URVRiM 42646
Traveling along has been fairly quiet. There are a few bumps in the road, but all in all it is not a bad trip, even if the landscape is white and cold. You pass a few people on the road, but many hurrying with freight back and forth between Ecland and Desnal, and nobody seems to want to stop and talk.
In one of the curves, you notice while there are many people on the road, off to the side is an orc, seeming to have difficulty with the light, and a small white canine. Both seem to be watching the people pass, as the orc carefully watches, with falchion in hand, and his other hand keeping his pet.
Marcus put a hand in his sword's hilt and walks, wary of the orc...
Also, he will take a look at the orc's demeanor:
Rogar simply walked up to one of the Triumvir and asked for one. It was almost a little too easy. Perhaps they wanted us out of the picture?
Vi laughs as he gets on the wagon. Ah well, whatever. Let them play their games if that is what they're doing.
--------------------------------------------------------
As the Orc comes into sight, Vi looks at it, then looks to Marcus out of the corner of his eye.
Marcus. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? I'm kinda craving a fight, but I'm going to give him a chance to explain himself.
With that, Vi jumps down off of the moving wagon (it's on ice and snow, I doubt it's going more than 10mph).
Marcus, with me!
He then begins to march over towards the Orc.
I smile as I see Rogar sit opposite me and once the hour is up I quietly close my book, latch it shut and place it back in my bag, then pull out a little dried fruit for Arirai, then offer Rogar some. "Sorry about that, must have been boring for you. So do you think there will be any trouble at the villa then?"
Rogar sits quietly as River reads. He tries to keep an eye on the road, but nothing seems to be going on, and the rocking motion of the wagon helps him slowly start to nod off. River's question wakes him from a light doze.
"Hmmm? Oh, no thank you. I'm hoping there's be no trouble, but we'll..." He breaks off upon hearing Vironus' words. "What in the world is he doing?" He stays in the wagon but makes sure his axe and shield are within easy reach.
Perception to see what's going on: +2 if stone-related
The wolf stands up and growls as Vi starts to approach. The orc looks up, stumbles a bit and begins to slink off into the woods.
The orc seems like he is trying to find a target to attack.
Hearing Vironus call I look up sharply, and speak quietly to Rogar, "So he just wants to fight again? Well if he gets himself killed so be it."
I then pull out a wooden cup and bowl from back bag, and fill them with water, I place the bowl on the wagon between Rogar and myself; where Arirai climbs down and has a long drink, I also drink out of my cup. I look up to Rogar again, "Would you like some water my friend?"
Ulrik is silent, hanging on to the side of the Wagon with his foot on the lower support beam for the axles, as he thinks on the information gathered so far. He then sighs when he hears Vi's comment. He then chuckles as he hears River's faint comment. He then has a faint realization of a passing comment one of his companions made. He then speaks to Rogar as clearly as possible.
"Master Rogar, you seen the one who lent us this cart didn't you. What was he like? Was he overly friendly. More so than someone normally would be?"
Memory Check (if needed):
You found him to be an upstanding dwarf and member of the town, and certainly friendly, but you do realize he was also a politician. He did move quickly, but scandal is such a horrible thing.
Seeing Vironus rushing towards the orc, Marcus call him back.
"Vironus, come back here! Surely he doesn't have any business with us, and even so, don't rush to put yourself in danger. Remember, our priority is to keep a low profile while we search out for answers."
Hearing Marcus' call, Vironus stops in his path to turn around.
I cannot allow for innocent women and children to be harmed! I fully understand the point you make, and it's a valid one at that, but I need to investigate this, as it looked as though he was picking targets!
Marcus' words make good point, but they aren't enough to stop him upholding his own personal values, and as such, he waits for Marcus' response.
"I understand your concern, Vironus. But tell me, did you see him harm anyone?
As far as I can know, he could be even a law enforcer... let's say... a bounty hunter, tracking some criminal on the loose. I you approach him and begin to demand answers without reason, maybe you are just going to ruin his day.
I'm not saying that we should trust him or such, and of course we should keep an eye on him, but that doesn't mean that by the very fact that he is of orc blood is evil. Give your warrior's heart a rest, Vironus. I'm pretty sure we will find some... exulting battles soon enough."
Still half-groggy, Ulrik's question leaves Rogar completely at a loss, and he stares stupidly at him for a minute. "The Triumvir gave us the cart. You don't remember? She was that evil halfling who tried to kill us. ... ... ... Oh wait, wrong Triumvir. Sorry." Rogar looks embarrassed as he continues. "He seemed like a decent enough fellow - for a politician."
"Hmm..."Ulrik hops down and yells to Vironus."Vironus! Was it you that mentioned something about a stone mentioning being wary of a friendly face?"
The dog seems to have faded into the snow, but you can see the orc stumbling and trying to sneak away.
I look up at Ulrik and listen to Rogar's reply, "Could you explain to me what the Triumvir are? It sounds like a gang or group of people trying to control others, but I would like to make sure I get the correct information, so as not to say the wrong thing to them."
Very well Marcus. We have our own mysteries to solve, but if we come back and find a few dead bodies, don't say I didn't warn you!
Vi looks back at the Orc once more, as Ulrik speaks to him.
It could have meant anything, but from what I recall the voice read out; "Stay away from the mine. You'll not know who to find. Come find my home, I wouldn't come alone. The castle a fiend hides, beware of a friendly guise."
The mine is where we should go last and I'm pretty certain the "come find my home" line referred to our encounter with Cindi yesterday. The Orc doesn't appear friendly to me, so I feel the Castle is where we should be wary of friendly faces.
Vi taps his feet on the snow in agitation as he sees the Orc escape, before turning and heading back to the rest of the group.
Have it your way. We approach Desnal, so perhaps more answers lay waiting for us there!
"True..."Ulrik smacks his forehead when he makes a realization. And gathers everyone together. Then speaks quietly enough to where only they can hear."What if the Mine part wasn't a Warning but a Trick! What if they want us away from the Mine so as not to obtain the thing that can stop them or learn more of their plan!"
Asking about Triumvir
"They're sort of like mayors. Ruling counsel. At least, that's the impression I got."
Mine in vision as trick vs. warning
"That might very well be true, but the last thing we want to do right now is rush into something before we have any information. We should be getting close to Desnal, so lets see what we can learn about Cindi, the mine, the forest, and anything else that might come up. Even the local rumors could be helpful. We're getting pulled in many directions at once, so I vote for going slow and not rushing into something we're not prepared for."
Well, I feel we're headed in the best possible place right now. Desnal has been the first place to present any real threat to us, and so we should dig deeper and that is why we travel here. Let's continue!
Rounding a bend in the road, you can see the small village not too far away. The sun riding high in the sky, gives you a good look at the sea and the ships in port.
"I was suggesting we look into the Mine as a possible first stop. Who said anything about rushing..."
Well, Desnal is near, so for now I feel it best to find out what we can. We should remain cautious however, as it's possible the Triumvir gave us this Wagon, as a way to please us and remove us from the picture. If they're involved, they won't want good folk like us meddling with their affairs.
"Well, of the two we've met so far, one's a politician, and the other tried to kill us. I'd say caution's definitely the best attribute for us."
"It would appear being nice to these people and giving them respect due to their position would help us in our investigations then. Do you think Cindi was a Triumvir then?"
She was indeed, with Sumak being the one to inform us of this.
"So ... where abouts in the village should we find this Sumak?"
As you approach the villa, it seems a new shipment has come in, so that there is a lot more bustle going on unloading and reloading the ship. You hardly see anyone around the outskirts of town.
Looking to River while motioning toward the Port Ulrik grumbles."Well might as well start with the area filled with people. Always seems to be where there are a lot of people."
Vi nods.
Agreed. It's time we got to the bottom of this, and if we need to stay til nightfall, so be it.
Looking to Ulrik, Vi suggests something.
Those crates. Are you as curious as I?
I nod to Ulrik, then look at Vironus, "Why would you be curious about crates? They probably contain food and other supplies." I get down from the wagon, lift Arirai onto my shoulders and get ready to go and interact with some of the townsfolk, following Marcus or Rogar.
Rogar frowns at Vironus. "Crates are crates. Nothing suspicious about them. I do agree with Ulrik though: yesterday, the Triumvir was supervising workers over there."
"Crates can hide many things. Maybe hey hope every outsider thinks as you do allowing them to import anything they wish."
Which is my point exactly. They may not be hiding anything, but then again, this whole place feels a little off to me, so it's not worth risking anything.
With nobody in earshot, Vi comes up with a plan.
Okay, River and Marcus, you are both new to this Town and it doesn't look like anybody has noticed us yet. So, I think you two should go and investigate the crates, ask about the new shipment and why there's a lack of activity around the outskirts of town.
Meanwhile, myself, Ulrik and Rogar who have already been seen in town, will head to Cindi's house and dig around, to try and uncover any hidden truth's we may have missed in our search yesterday. That way, we go by un-noticed, and those around here are none the wiser of what our actual intentions are.
I look at Vironus, "While that does sound like a plan, my fear of splitting us up yesterday proved folly when you got into trouble, yes you were able to overcome your encounter, but what if Marcus and I come across something? If nobody objects to the plan I will follow it, just let it be known I am unhappy with splitting up our chances of survival again."
"I'm also worried about splitting up again and think it's best that we all stay together. Safety in numbers, and all that. Additionally, Cindi was some sort of mage, and I wouldn't be surprised if her house holds arcane secrets. As I know nothing of magic, I think it best that River came with us. Her knowledge could prove vital. We can always check out the crates on our way out of town if need be."
"It is true that River and I wouldn't call much attention, since it's our first time in this town, but, it's also true that none of us knows neither this place, it's inhabitants nor their customs. If we split up, we should be walking blindly, prone to be used like pawns for that Triumvirate or even worse."
And then, to Vironus:
"I think the first we should do is to look up after Cindi's whereabouts. Did you say you were at Cindi's place? Maybe, with River alongside us, we could find more about what is going on."
Then, he put a hand in Rogar's shoulder,
Well, I guess the decision has been made then. We could have had the advantage if River and yourself followed my strategy, but if you feel it best to stick together on this one, it's three against one. I suppose if we face trouble there will be enough of us to walk all over our opponents, but we had no trouble with Cindi yesterday. She was just good at using cheap tactics to gain an advantage in combat....which didn't help her against Rogar who was able to show me where she was.
I believe the three of us could have handled this ourselves, while you two dug a little deeper around the docks, but I guess there's enough of us for it to not matter that we're now going to stick out like a sore thumb.
Vi sighs and takes a deep breath.
"Maybe we could split up but still be together."
Come again?
I look to Ulrik confused, "How can we split up but still be together? That is a contradiction in itself."
Rogar gives Ulrik a confused look but says nothing for the moment.
"We act as separate groups who just happened to meet on the road. We offered the young lady and her bodyguard a ride as it seemed they had been travelling for quite some time. WE then separate but stay close enough to support each other. It was a tactic my group regularly used when investigating when disguised."Ulrik then Grins at the fact that he seems to have came up with a plan the others hadn't come to.